Peter Capaldi's Doctor Who swansong is shaping up not just to be a tribute to his era, but also a celebration of the show's 54-year history.

The current Time Lord will bow out at Christmas with a festival special that will see Capaldi joining forces with David Bradley, who reprises his role as The First Doctor from the docu-drama An Adventure in Space and Time.

In an interview with TV & Satellite, the film-maker teased: "It's a tour de force. It's a fanboy's dream, it's also a beautiful and joyous script."

One of the few things we know for certain about the Christmas special is that it will feature a regeneration for Capaldi's Doctor — one which showrunner Steven Moffat has promised will differ all those before it.

"The one thing I have to say is, it's Christmas Day, we're gonna keep it funny, and we're gonna keep it lively, as well as sad," he teased.

"If we cry, [the audience] won't. We want them to cry. So Doctor Who will laugh bravely into that good night."